The first stage of the Tour of Qatar covered 135 kilometers from Al Wakra to Dukhan Beach, where the wind turned out to be the greatest challenge. Sam Bennett though managed to sprint into 14th place. This secured the jersey in the youth classification for the 23 year-old Irishman through a tactical coup in his first race for Team NetApp-Endura. Bennett sprinted into third place in the first intermediate sprint and secured a bonus second. This currently puts him in sixth place in the general classification as the best up-and-coming rider.

“I was very nervous before the start because it’s the first race in a new team. But now I am very happy how everything turned out. I really like to thank my teammates who rode incredibly strong and who supported me so well on today’s stage”, states Sam Bennett right after the finish.

“I am delighted that our plan worked out right on the first day. The entire team supported Sam in the first sprint classification after 20 kilometers to secure the bonus seconds for us,” says a delighted Alex Sans Vega, Sport Director of Team NetApp – Endura regarding his coup.

“After the strong wind divided the field into five groups, we were in the second group with four riders. Zak and Scott were able to close the gap up front. That was indeed tough work for around 50 kilometers, but it put Sam in the right position. The time in hand put him in the top 10 and gave him the jersey for the best young pro. That was a masterful debut, and we will naturally try to defend it,” continues Sans Vega.